As disclosed by Harada et al. in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,504,640, 4,528,347, and 4,540,760, certain types of azo polymerization initiators are useful in producing monoallylamine polymers having a high degree of polymerization in high yield -- a remarkable discovery when it was made, since previous attempts to polymerize monoallylamine with radical or ionic initiators had resulted at best in the formation in low yield of polymers having a low degree of polymerization. This discovery has made it now commercially feasible to prepare poly(monoallylamine) and its salts. However, there is a need for a less expensive process, such as a process using a less expensive initiator.